Abuse victims blast SA Catholic official

He’ll soon take over national church abuse panel

But he “has been & is part of the problem,” SNAP says

Group accuses him of helping hide child sex cases in TX

Top Catholic committee, SNAP says, is “practically worthless”

Group tells new appointee: “Either quit now or really shake things up”

Recent revelations – in TX, Philly and elsewhere – shows “little has changed”

WHAT
Holding signs and childhood photos at a sidewalk news conference, clergy sex abuse victims and their supporters will
-- urge a San Antonio man to quit a national Catholic abuse panel he’s just been appointed to, OR
-- make dramatic changes to how church officials handle child sex abuse and cover up cases.

The group will also ask the newly-tapped board chair to
-- reveal all the names of current and former San Antonio area credibly accused pedophile priests, and
-- insist that every US bishop (San Antonio’s included) post on his website the names, photos and whereabouts of proven, admitted and credibly accused child molesting clerics, so that kids will be safer.

WHEN
TODAY, Monday, April 4, at 1:30 p.m.

WHERE
Outside the San Antonio archdiocesan headquarters (chancery office), 2718 W. Woodlawn Ave. San Antonio

WHO
2-4 members of an international support group called SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAPnetwork.org) including a San Antonio mom who is the organization’s local director

WHY
Yesterday’s Express-News reported that a San Antonio Catholic man, Al Notzon, will soon head the church’s national sex abuse panel. SNAP opposes the appointment and hopes Notzon will turn it down.

Since 2003, Notzon has been on the local archdiocesan abuse panel. In that role, SNAP says, Notzon has “been part of the problem, not part of the solution.” Specifically, at best, he stayed silent, or at worst approved decisions by San Antonio bishops to hide reports and suspicions of clergy sex crimes from parishioners and the public.

http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/S-A-man-to-lead-National-Review-Board-1319182.php

Just last year, the archdiocese kept silent about two clerics (Brother Richard Suttle and Fr. Charles H. Miller) whose direct supervisors deemed were ‘credibly accused’ of sexually abusing teenagers. One of those clerics (Miller) now apparently works for a Catholic institution in Rome.

In both cases, archdiocesan staff let Catholic religious orders quietly transfer credibly accused clerics into San Antonio in recent years. Neither Notzon nor any church official apparently warned parishioners or the public.

If Notzon takes this appointment, SNAP wants him to push hard to make every bishop post on his websites the names, and priestly status of child molesting clerics who are or have been in their dioceses. Roughly 24 US bishop have done this, almost always in response to intense external pressure.

According to a Boston-based independent research group called BishopAccountabilty.org, there are 20 publicly accused San Antonio archdiocesan child molesting clerics.

SNAP notes that the actual number of San Antonio area pedophile priests is likely much higher because BishopAccountability.org lists only those clerics against whom allegations have been lodged in the public domain – in civil lawsuits, criminal prosecution or news accounts.

In 2002, Baltimore became the first US diocese to disclose names. Last year, two Massachusetts bishops pledged to do likewise (in Boston and Springfield). Even the much-maligned Philadelphia archdiocese posts such names: http://archphila.org/protection/Updates/update_main.htm. Here are all the dioceses that have disclosed names: http://www.bishop-accountability.org/AtAGlance/lists.htm

CONTACT
Barbara Garcia Boehland 210 621 2177, 210 725 8329, David Clohessy 314-566-9790 SNAPclohessy@aol.com, Barbara Dorris (314-503-0003 home, SNAPdorris@gmail.com